When I was a young kid riding this train, we used to nickname this train the 'R'etard train. It would run, stop, run, and stop. All the running and stopping made the passengers rock back a forth. What a way to travel and it got so monotonous! You don't know how good you have it now! read more

Ahh the R Train. Fun times waiting at Roosevelt Av. for 25 minutes while watching 6 E&F trains come and go and they completely ignore the ever-growing crowd waiting for the local train when they could totally run one of those many express trains local to accommodate people when the R screws up. Like seriously bring back the G Train to queens on the weekend! Also the countless hours spent sitting at 49th street "being held by the trains dispatcher." Ever since the reopening of the tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan the R has gone way downhill. The only reason it gets 5 stars is because R is the first letter of my name and because it takes you to nearly every key place in the city and you can transfer to literally any other train with it. No matter where you are in the city its seems that the R is never too far away (Unless it's late at night as the R calls it a night around 11:40ish). Also, you are always guaranteed a seat on the R even during rush hour (unless one hasn't shown up in the past 20 minutes) Okay so you can see The R Train is awesome but it really deserves a lot more attention from the MTA. read more

My review is based on the incident that occured on August 19th. Due to a police action, the R train stopped running for over an hour! Once service was restored, the R train was going to Bay Ridge. Please note the incident occured at Union st. Why was the service beyond that section terminated at 36th st. The conductor suggested taking the B63 or B37! My husband and I walk home! The MTA must do a better job when these type of situations happen! read more

The g h o s t train as many of us so unaffectionately deem this mode of transportation....well, stole it from the G train....but this one has earned the right. Every time I head out to Roosevelt Island I wait an inordinate amount of time. From Manhattan, I generally have enough time to get through 4 Celene Dion songs and then right before I slit my wrists, the G Train comes and I am happy again. Okay, so that is a little dramatic, but I'd have to say in my experience that this train is the slowest, most infrequent, and attracts a disproportionate amount of shadesters. Every time I go from Roosevelt Island back to Manhattan I go into this abandoned-airport-looking station and wait 5 Celene Dion songs for the train. It's all over after that. read more

Booooooooo! Something has gone wrong if I am on this train! It has as many stops as a local bus! Maybe skip a few in the future, just not MINE! read more

This is the most garbage train in the entire system. The worst part is that I have to take it home every day. Why on earth do you have a sign on the 95th stop that INDICATES THE WRONG TRAIN BEING NEXT. I'm going to be late because of ridiculous nonsense like that. Hate is a strong word, but I really can't pick anything less. It's so expensive but so useless. I might as well drive to the freakin' city. It's unexplainable how much I loathe this line when I'm coming home too. It says "every 10 mins." but in reality it takes around 30-40 mins. especially on the 59th street stop. I really loathe this line, after years of this, it's really exhausting. read more

Crowded, hot, loud...that's my experience on the R Train. This is as no-nonsense as NYC transportation gets. Best time to take it is on a Saturday and even then it's not a lot of fun. The experience would probably have been a lot better if not for having had to embark at my least favorite station, Lexington Avenue/59th Street. Points, though, for moving along quickly and being cheaper than a taxi. read more

The R train could be much better. It is a not so known train that runs within Queens and does not have the ridership to remain as popular as some of the other more frequent Subway lines in NYC. The R train seems to not pass as often as its other counterparts and also runs on older cars from the 80s... read more

I rely on this train to take me to East Village. The much better W train also stops at 28th Street, but with less frequency, so most of the time I'm stuck with the R. It's slower, and I don't like the way it wobbles back and forth like it's drunk, but when it's freezing cold out I really would rather take this train than walk all the way to 8th Street. read more

This is such a rundown train. When are they going to update it? The only thing I like about it, is that I catch it at the first stop in Queens so I always have a seat. read more

By far the worst and most unreliable train in the NYC Subway system. It takes forever for one to even get to the station when you've been waiting 20-25 minites. Meanwhile, the one heading on the opposite side will always see 2-3 trains in 20-25 minutes. Very late, very packed when it does come, since all those people waiting pack in like sardines, and it's extremely inconvenient. And I take it from the Whitehall Station, go ahead and wait for the train to come from Brooklyn, you'll be deaf when it passes through. It is so loud at that station when it comes screeching in from Brooklyn. Take the N or Q line instead. read more

The R is good alternative to the E or F when transporting a lot or I'm early and just need space.

The R is the most unpleasant train i've been on since moving to NYC in August 2009. It ran really slow, like 15 miles an hour. Most of the time I was on the train I could hear this screeching metal on metal sound that was almost as loud as a lawnmower. It can't be doing anything good for the efficiency or exterior of the train. read more

Queens bound R trains have a tendency of sitting at Queens Plaza, wait for a couple of E&M trains come and go ahead before it decides it wants to proceed. The MTA is incompetent. read more

The R train holds many memories and was perhaps the first train I took when I started exploring places beyond Staten Island. It's slow and screechy as HELL; at times you can't even hear your music because of how loud it was. When the W train was still around, I ran to it because of the superior air conditioning and shiny cars (since the R train still has the older models... where the hell did the newer trains go?!). But the biggest flaw is, after about 11 - earlier on weekends - if you don't catch the last R train going to Forest Hills, you're looking for a night full of transfers. Despite that, this train got me to where I needed to go - mainly, Canal street, my boyfriend's house, or depending on the weather, 59 street. The ride's better if you have a sketchbook or something to read along the way. The seats aren't bad to sit in and I've never been bothered or seen that many crazies along the way (but then again, I'm the oblivious type). Best of all, it's not a bad train to take a snooze in and during rush hour in Whitehall everyone in the last two cars leaves the train. :) read more

Does the MTA even care about this line? It was switched to the new cars that the N and Q lines use for a little bit, until they decided that they don't care about the R line at all. It has been a month since hurricane Sandy. The R line between Brooklyn and Manhattan is still down, while every other tunnel is functional. It is one of the slowest trains I have ever seen. Seems as though it is always late. When I plan a trip that requires me to be on the R line I have to plan for at least 30 minutes of leeway because the train is always late. This train is so crappy that I made this yelp account only to express how crummy the service is on this train. read more

NY subway is the best and the R train my favorite as it travels downtown to all my favorite spots! Yeah for the R train.

This is the worst line! They change routes without notifying you. If the do, they notify you when arriving to another station, that's not on the R line. It goes back in between the F line and R line without notice. There are always signal issues. WORST TRAIN. read more

NYC subway service has been declining in general - we're now at 70,000 subway delays per month, up from 28,000 just five years ago. That's a disgrace. So too is the R train, specifically. The R runs too rarely, encounters too many delays, and too often has suspended services on weekends. Living near this train is a passport to aggravation. And there are no countdown clocks on this line, of course, even though the rest of the civilized world has them. I would recommend avoiding the R unless it's absolutely necessary for your commute. read more

The R train has the worst service in NYC I have been taking it for over 20 years and the delays into Manhattan are insane it's a norm I can't describe how annoying it is I just give up I leave my home 30 minutes earlier because I expect delays read more

As if the MTA's WORST TRAIN EVER could not get any worse, the MTA decided to cut it into two like an earthworm for over a year. Supposedly it's because the Montague Street tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn was flooded by Sandy and they need over a year to make the necessary repairs. Um yeah... right. The entire tunnel was built in less than that amount of time ---- in 1920! Why would it take longer to FIX a tunnel than it took to build it in the first place???? Oh, it's the MTA! I forgot this is the same agency that has taken over 80 years to build the 3 station stub it calls the "Second Avenue Subway" (Lest it not be known, the 2nd Avenue Subway is only an extension of the Q line from 63rd to 96th. It's not taking you to the East Village.) As for when the R train tunnel will finally reopen, the MTA once said October 2014. However, it's been MONTHS since they said that. Undoubtedly it's getting delayed. this is after the MTA inadvertently leaked earlier this year that the "work" was being done ahead of schedule. Yet, now it's practically September and we still don't have a reopening date. It's obvious what's REALLY going on. It's been no secret that there are certain loops of the system that the MTA just prefers NEVER EXISTED. One of them is the R train look from Canal Street to Atlantic Avenue. Another is the 7 train from Queensboro Plaza to Times Square. From the MTA's perspective, these loops are money loosing appendages that it wish it could just shut down. It feels that the passengers should just instead take other trains to get where they're going. Hence why it runs the R over the Manhattan Bridge and shuts down the 7 from Queensboro Plaza to Times Square as often as it can. Usually it's only on the weekends or at night but Sandy has given it the excuse to shut the R loop for over a year. I don't doubt that the MTA wishes that it NEVER reopens. What else could explain why the G train tunnel (which was also flooded) is only being shut down for 2 months but the R train is for over a year? yes, the MTA doesn't very much like the G but it's the only train from that part of Queens to Brooklyn. The R, however, roughly parallels the 4/5 and 2/3 and the MTA feels that the passengers should just take those trains instead. As for the 7, the MTA would rather everyone transfer at Queensboro Plaza to the N to get to Manhattan. No doubt, by making the use of these trains as difficult as possible, the MTA is hoping to discourage use so that one day it can say "well these trains aren't popular enough and now we're going to cut service." They actually tried to do that with the R in 2010, announcing that they would run it over the Manhattan Bridge every weekend. It was only a last minute infusion of money from the state that they kept service going. Bottom line, the R train is awful but it is awful because the MTA wants to guarantee that its awful so that eventually it can do what it wants to eventually do, which is to reroute it over the Manhattan Bridge and abandon the downtown loop. read more

Yeah, I thought the C train was the worst, but the R train takes the cake. Dear MTA: takes several seats! What was the purpose of bringing the R train back to Brooklyn, only for it to be constantly delayed and moving at a snails pace? Why is it that during rush hour in the morning or afternoon, the platform is constantly packed at Atlantic Avenue? Why is it that this specific train only comes every 10 minutes during rush hour? I saw a man miss the train last week and he kicked the side of the train out of frustration probably due to the fact that he knew he would be waiting for a long time for the next one to come. And tell the conductors to stop yelling at passengers to stand clear! Duh it's crowded cause it's always late and people want to get on the train to their destination!!! And tell those same conductors to stop lying to the people telling them that there's another R train directly behind this one. Shut up with the lies already! The trains are awfully crowded too because of the lack of trains running. Get your life together MTA this train is the worst!!! Crappy train line with crappy service. No wonder you constantly receive the worst grade year after year. Know this, you will be waiting forever for the R train and if you just missed one you better literally pray to the most high the next train will come within the next 17 minutes. read more

i've been taking this train since i was 12 to commute to school and now i do it to go to work. living at 67th avenue in queens helps -- i get to have a seat! too bad the R stops service shortly after midnight. taking the E train for late nights is depressing. read more

use this train every day commuting from Bay Ridge. normal rush-hour service is what it is. i transfer to an express N or D as soon as i can. my main beef with the R is the idiotic way it's shuttle service is run at night. for a line that only operates over 8 stations, you could not find a more poorly run system. i've waited up to 20 minutes for a shuttle train to show up. WHY? WHY? 97% of the people using the shuttle come off the D or N at 36th & 59th Sts. why can't a shuttle ALWAYS be ready to go when one or both of those arrive? last night i got off an N train at 59th St, people were already waiting for a R. two more N trains arrived and left before a shuttle showed up. 20 minute wait! it's an embarrassment to the MTA and the main reason i am thinking of leaving Bay Ridge. read more

Unfortunately, I don't have the choice of 0 stars, because you do't deserve one. I moved to Bay ridge a few months ago, sure the rent is affordable, but at what price? It is just depressing to live here. Why? The only train is R train. this train is the most unreliable. if you loose one train, you have to wait 15 minutes for the next one, if you are lucky. MTA never announces when the train is not running, so if you have been waiting for more than half an hour, you just have to get out and get a taxi, because not even the MTA guy that sells tickets at the window knows what is going on. It is always late, dirty and packed, an on the weekends is even worst I wonder if the MTA cares, because there are several complains about this old train. IT SHOULD BE REPLACED. read more

the R train is the best Train i,ve Seen So Far I love Trains I could Ride On R All Day From Bay Ridge From Bay Ridge To Forest Hills All Day read more

i like the r train cause it's strictly local and if you are playing hooky from school or don't have much of a life then i suggest you take this train line from first to last stop cause it's long and time consuming . i starts or ends depending on your location in forest hills queens to the opposite direction in bay ridge brooklyn which means this local train line makes mucho stops . the whitehall st station is used very much with folks going to catch the ferry to staten island and city hall is a much used stop as well . it runs on the broadway route and is my go to train when heading to the municipal building when it's required . wow it stops at 45 stations so i assume the train conducter and motorman can not take a nap at all which for the passengers must be a relieve . my only peeve is that they still use the japanese train model mostly which are narrow and have tight limited seating which stinks if you are going far into queens or opposite . overall this train line has been running over 100 years and serves a useless service for regular riders and non regulars like me . read more

The R train needs some serious upgrading. The equipment is old and this summer the A/C on board the train was hit or miss. The R is also frequently late, and I attribute this to its local status in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn. It seems like they put every train in front of the R. I try to avoid this train as much as possible. read more

R is for reliable. So much better than the 7th Train. So gosh darn slow but you get me to my destination with seats to spare. All you need is a good book or some music and you can totally have a loungy good time. People are not confrontational. If you wanna get to your destination in a speedy manner use the E and F. read more

I would never think in a million years that I would advocate for the A, C or F train lines until I moved to Bay Ridge. Is the R train the means to keep people in Bay Ridge or out? This train truly sucks. I can't fully express the distain for this slow and always delayed train. Out of a 5 day work week, it's delayed 3 to 4 days. Sometimes in the mornings, I get the double whammy of the R fuckery and then D train fuckery - I can discuss the D trains never ending sick passengers in another post. I digress, the R train needs major improvements and it's sickening that the MTA raises the fare at a whim and nothing improves. This train might cause me to move! read more

Super slow, have to wait a long time to get the r train. If it were a distance to take the b63, that would be better or just to walk the 4th avenue line would be more convenient. Even the f train is a better option. read more

The train is very slow - often 8-12 minutes between trains even during morning and evening rush hours. The trains are also some of the oldest and dirtiest in NYC. read more